Sliding table saw



[FIGI Dec. 24, 1963 Original Filed May 22, 1958 H. GOLDSCHMIDT ETALSLIDING TABLE- SAW 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS GOLDSCHMIDI', JOHN w.EDGEMOND, JR.

ATTORNEYS H. GOLDSCHMIDT ETAL 3,115,166

Dec. 24,1963

SLIDING TABLE SAW 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed May 22, 1958 N .6 ET

HANS GOLDSCHMIDT, JOHN w. sosemonmun.

Mil/2M4 mu 6% I I AT'I ORNEYS De c. 24, 1963 H. GOLDSCHMIDT -ETAL3,115,156

sunmc TABLE SAW Original Filed May 22, 1958 r v 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 HANSGOLDSCHMIDT, JOHN W. EDGEMONDJR.

BY M M+6m ATTORNEYS INVENTORS Dec. 24, 1963 H. GOLDSCHMIDT ETAL3,115,166

SLIDING TABLE SAW Original Filed May 22, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 4INVENTORS/ HANS GOLDSCHMIDT JOHN W. EDGEMONDJR.

BY- ?MZW I W, flaw/+5103! ATTORNEYS Dec. 24, 1963 H. GOLDSCHMIDT ETAL3,115,166

SLIDING TABLE SAW Original Filed May 22, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORSHANS GOLDSCHMIDT JOHN W. EDGEMOND, JR.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,115,166 SLIDING TABLE SAW HansGoldschmidt, Atherton, and John W. Edgemond, In, Los Altos, Calif.,assignors, by mesne assignments, to Magna American Corporation,Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Original application May 22,1958, Ser. No. 737,087, now Patent No. 2,974,693, dated Mar. 14, 1961.Divided and this application Nov. 16, 1960., Ser. No. 70,873

2 Claims. (Cl. 143-52) This invention relates to sliding table saws andparticularly to table saws of the type in which the mechanism fordriving the blade, for tilting the blade, and for raising and loweringthe blade are all mounted in a stationary member (hereinafter referredto as a tub) and in which the table may be caused to be reciprocated ina horizontal plane with respect to the saw blade, regardless of itselevation or its tilt.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a sliding table sawof the character in which the table may be locked in a predeterminedposition at the will of the operator whereby the saw may be used as aconventional power saw.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a device of thischaracter in which one-half of the table is slidable toward and awayfrom the other half whereby tools of various types, such as dadoes,molders, etc. may be accommodated to be used therewith.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a suitable means forsquaring the guides upon which the sliding table is adapted toreciprocate and for adjusting them.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a simple form ofmotor and arbor assembly in which the motor is provided with a singlecast bell housing (1) which provides an axis about which the arbor maybe rotated, (2) which provides a rack for control of the motor aboutthis axis, (3) which provides a simple arbor and arbor support and (4)in which the entire drive mechanism is suitably enclosed to eliminatethe danger hazard and to seal the working parts from dust which iscommonly associated with sawing operations.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a single controlmeans for stopping and starting the saw and for locking or operating thesliding table.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a suitable type offence which may be utilized in conjunction with a sliding table whichfacilitates tenoning and similar operations.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following specification taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 represents a front view of a sliding table saw illustratingparticularly the front end of the tub and the single control means forraising and lowering and tilting the saw blade and for locking the sawblade in tilted position, as well as the single control handle whichstarts and stops the saw and locks or permits the saw to be slid andwhich shows other important features as will more fully hereinafter beexplained;

FIGURE 2 is a top view with the table removed showing the motor and thesaw blade and the means for mounting the same and the members forsupporting the sliding table;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar in some respects to FIG- URE 2; however, thetable is in operating position and the motor and control mechanism areshown in dotted lines;

FIGURE 4 is a three-quarter view, partially in section, showing some ofthe details of the means for tilting and looking the blade and forraising and lowering the same and includes some details of the arbordrive mechanism;

FIGURE 5 is a side view with one side wall of the tub removed andillustrates, partially in cross-section, the means for raising andlowering and tilting the saw blade and illustrates the electricalmechanism used in conjunction with our device;

FIGURE 6 (Sheet 1) is a partial view of the single control mechanism forstarting and stopping the saw and locking or permitting movement of thesliding table and illustrates the single handle and the detent mechanismwhich restricts rotary movement thereof;

FIGURE 7 is a view of a portion of the lock-out flange which restrictsmovement of the single control mechanism for certain purposes;

FIGURE 8 (Sheet 3) is a view of the switch mechanism which is associatedwith the single control mechanism illustrated in FIGURE 6 and whichcompletes or interrupts the circuits to the motor;

FIGURE 9 is an end view of the mechanism illustrated in FIGURE 9a;

FIGURE 9a is a side view of the locking mechanism by which the table iseither locked or permitted to slide, and

FIGURE 10 is a view of one of the supporting roller assemblies for oneof the ways for the sliding table, and

FIGURE 11 (Sheet 4) is a view of another of the roller mechanisms onwhich the ways for the sliding table slides.

This application is a division of application Serial No. 737,087, filedMay 22, 1958, for Sliding Table Saw, and issued March 14, 1961, asPatent No. 2,974,693.

As illustrated particularly in FIGURE 1 our device consists of a tubassembly 10 which is mounted upon suitable legs |11 and 12 and which, inturn, supports a sliding table assembly 13 which is provided with railsor outriggers 14 whose purpose will more fully hereinafter be describedand which support a movable fence 16.

As illustrated particularly in FIGURES 4 and 5, the tub assembly 10consists of a pair of end castings. The front end casting 17 issubstantially identical to the front end casting illustrated inapplication Serial No. 631,820, filed December 31, 1956, for a Power Sawin the names of John W. Edgemond, Jr., and John J. Oconnor and issuedJuly 19, 1960, as Patent No. 2,945,516. The front integral casting 17and the rear casting 18 are provided with arcuate slots which areconcentric and which support a cradle 23 (FIGURES 3 and 4) which isprovided with arcuate members 24 and 25 which may be secured thereto inany suitable manner, but which are adapted to be accommodated within theslots 21 and 22 respectively so that the cradle 23 may be movedarcuately about a line 26 on the table 13. Line 26 is the line at whichthe saw blade 15 projects through the top of the table 13. It will beapparent therefore that as the cradle 23 is swung about the line 26 thesaw blade 15 which is supported by the cradle will likewise be tiltedabout the line 26 in such a manner that as a workpiece, which issupported upon the table 13 is cut, the kerf made by the Iblade \15 willbe at the same angle. It will be noted that the members 24 and 25 areshorter in length than the arcuate slots 21 and 22. This is of course anessential requirement of construction to permit the members 24 and 25 tomove through the entire lengths of the arcs formed by the slots 21 and22 whereby the blade 15 may be moved from a vertical position to aposition approximately 45 with respect thereto as indicated in thedotted line position illustrated in FIGURE 1.

The primary purpose of the cradle 23 is to support the saw 15 and themechanism for driving it. As illustrated particularly in FIGURES 4 and 5we have provided a motor 27 which is more or less conventional but whichis provided with a particularly designed cast head assembly 28. Thiscasting 28 forms a bell housing for one end of the motor and is providedwith a threaded orifice to receive a hub 29 on the threaded member 29awhich is accommodated within a bore in the cradle 23. A nut 31 completesthe assembly and the entire motor 27 and the housing 28 pivot about themember 29. The member 28 is provided with an arcuate slot 32. A bolt 33which is threadedly secured to the cradle 23 engages the slot 32 andlimits the rotation of the member 28 about the member 29 and thus servesto limit the travel of the blade 15 between raised and loweredpositions, as it is of course apparent to anyone skilled in the art thatthe point 29 is the point about which the blade '15 and the arbor arepivoted. Member 28 is also provided with teeth 34 which form an arcuaterack which is engaged by a worm-gear 36. The worm 36 is secured to shaft37 which is rotatably mounted in bosses 38 and 39 which are formedintegrally with the cradle 23. The shaft 37 is provided with a gear 41which is pinned or otherwise fixed thereto. Rotation of the gear 41 andthe shaft 37 will rotate the worm 36 and, by virtue of the engagement ofthe worm 36 and the rack 34 the saw 15 will be raised or lowered.

Integral die-cast front tub portion 17 is cast in such a manner as 'toprovide an arcuate slot 41a and a plurality of teeth which form anarcuate rack 42 Which is concentric with the slot 41a. A shaft 43 passesthrough the arcuate slot 41a and is adapted to move laterally along thelength of the slot and to rotate therewithin. Movement of the shaft43along the slot 41a will result in tilting of the blade 15. The shaft43 is supported in a pair of bosses 44 and 46 onthe cradle 23 and isadapted 'to be rotated and to be moved longitudinally with respectthereto. The shaft 43 accommodates a gear 47 which may be moved into orout of engagement with the gear 41. When the handle 48 is rotated theshaft 43 and the gear 47 are likewise rotated. When the shaft 43 hasbeen moved longitudinally to the left (as viewed in FIGURE so that thegears 41 and 47 are in engagement, rotation of the hand-wheel 48 servesto raise and lower the blade 15 about the hub 29. However, as haspreviously been stated, the shaft 43 is likewise movable longitudinally.When the shaft 43 is moved longitudinally the pin 49 engages one of theslots '51 in a tubular member 52 which is rotatably mounted in the boss'46 but whose longitudinal movement with respect to the boss 46 isprevented by a pair of washers 53 and 54. The tubular member 52 is apart of a drive gear assembly which is disclosed and described in theaforementioned Edge'mond and OConnor Patent No. 2,945,- 516. This drive"gear assembly consists of a suitable epicyclic gear construction whichis self-contained and thereby free of dirt and contamination and whichis adapted to cooperate with the rack 42 whereby, when this gearassembly is actuated, the cradle 23 is swung about the axes of thetrunnions 21 and 22. Thus, by actuating the hand wheel 48 when the pin29 is in engagement with one of the slots 5-1 (at which time it will beapparent that the gears 41 and 47 are not in engagement) the gearassembly 56 will engage 'the rack 42 and the cradle 23 will be swungabout the axes of the trunnions 21 and 22, which, it will be recalled,is the line 26. Thus by actuating the hand wheel 48 the blade 15 may betilted with respect to the table.

From the foregoing therefore it is apparent that-asingle control meansis provided, which is substantially identical to the single controlmeans disclosed in the aforementioned Edgemond and OConnor Patent No.2,945,516, whereby the blade 15 may be raised or lowered ortmay betilted at the will of an operator. The locking mechanism 57 isprovided'and this locking mechanism is substantially identical to asimilar locking mechanism disclosed and claimed in said Edgemond andOConnor Patent No. 2,945,5 l 6.

The cast bell housing 28 also provides asuitable mounting for aninternally threaded arbor which accommodates the saw blade 15. Thisinternally threaded arbor is illustrated and disclosed in applicationSerial No. 681,372, filed August 30, 1957,.in the names of HansGoldschrnidt 4 and John W. Edgemond, Jr., entitled Saw Arbor, and issuedJuly '19, 1960, as Patent No. 2,945,519. An internally toothed belt 61(FIGURE 4) is adapted to be driven by a gear 62 which is directlyconnected to and driven by a shaft 63 which is the motor shaft of themotor supported by the housing 28. The belt 61 likewise engages asimilar gear '64 which is mounted upon a shaft which is supported bysuitable bearings in an internally machined boss 66 which is castintegrally with the member 28. The gear 64 is provided 'with a coaxiallyaligned recess which is adapted to receive an internally threaded arbor.The internally threaded arbor is adapted to receive the bolt 67 whichsecures the saw blade 15 thereto.

Having thus described the tub which supports the cradle and cradleactuating mechanism and the motor support assembly, we shall nowdescribe the sliding table which is adapted to be utilized in connectiontherewith.

The table assembly 13 consists of apair of substantially identical tablesurface portions 71 and 72 (FIGURES 3 and 4) which are supported by apair of parallel front and rear members 73 and 74 respectively. Themember 72 is permanently affixed to the members 73 and 74 as by means ofsuitable bolts. Normally this portion 72 of the table remains affixed tothe members 73 and 74 although it is apparent that it may be removed forcertain specific purposes as by means of removing the bolts securedthereto.

The member 71 is movably mounted on the members 73 and 74 so that it canbe moved toward and away from the member 72 to enlarge the width of theslot 75 between them to accommodate different types of tools, as forexample, a dado, etc. Rather than using bolts similar to those whichsecure the chamber 72 to the members 73 and 74 we have provided a pairof elongated rods 72a and 72b which are secured at their ends to themembers 73 and 74 and which pass through slots in the downwardlyextending flanges 71a (FIGURE '5) of the table portion 71. Suitableblocks 76 are placed between the outer edges of the flanges 71a and themembers 73 and 74 so that when the centers of the rods 72a and 72b aredrawn together the clearance between the outer surfaces of the flanges71a and the parallel cooperating flanges of the members 73 and 74 andthe blocks 76 is reduced and the same are urged into tight frictionalengagement whereby movement of the table 71 laterally with respect to'the members 73 and 74 is prevented. Suitable means for urging thecenters of the rods 72a and 72b together is illustrated in FIGURE 2 andconsists generally of a screw mechanism which is rotatably mounted in aboss on the lower side of the :table 71. Rotation of the threaded memberurges the blocks 79 and 79a toward or away from each other, thus lockingthe table 71 against movement or releasing it for movement within theconfines of the travel permitted by the rods 72a and 72b within theslots in the flanges 71a of the table portion 71.

The parallel horizontal members 73 and 74 are mounted upon a pair ofways 77a and 77b. The way 77a is preferably in the form of a hexagonalrod. It may be secured to the members 73 and 74 in any suitable manneras for example by means of bolts. The hexagonal rod 77a is supported ina pair of devices of the type illustrated generally in FIGURE 10. Thesedevices, for example, consist of a pair of Y-shaped members 81. The armsof the Y each carry a pair of rollers 82 and the yoke of the Y carries aball bearing supported roller 83 which is mounted upon an eccentricmechanism whereby, upon adjustment of the eccentric with respect to theyoke of the member 81, the roller 83 may be urged upwardly or downwardlythus urging the hexagonal way 77a into proper contact with the rollers82. In this way lateral and vertical adjustment and stability aremaintained.

The way 77b consists generally of a channel 86 (FIG- URE 11). It issupported by a pair of rollers 87 and and shaft move with the slidingtable top assembly.

88 which are supported upon a member 89. The roller 87 is a ball bearingtype roller and is in turn eccentrically mounted with respect to themember 89. In this manner the position of the rollers 87 and 88 withrespect to each other and with respect to the way 86 may be adjusted.

The members 81 and 89 are mounted upon cross tubes 91 and 92 which inturn are secured to the cast front and rear tub portions 17 and 18respectively. It is apparent that the shafts 91 and 92 may be movedlaterally with respect to the tub assembly whereby the ways 77a and 77bmay be repositioned with respect to each other. When this is done it isof course apparent that the members 81 and 89 will be repositioned andin this manner the members 73 and 74 may be squared with respect to eachother as may the ways 77a and 7712. It is of course apparent that theentire table assembly must be so squared and so adjusted that when thistable is reciprocated the slot 75 will be parallel at all times to thesaw blade so that when a workpiece which is secured to the table top isadvanced the cut or kerf produced by the saw blade will be at thedesired angle with respect to the workpiece.

The means for controlling the position of the table may briefly bedescribed as follows and particular reference is directed to FIGURES 6,7, 8 and 9.

It will be noted that we have provided an elongated control shaft 101.The shaft 101, at its forward end, is provided with a handle 102 whichis keyed thereto in such a manner that when the handle is rotated theshaft is likewise rotated. The shaft is rotatably mounted in a bushingassembly 103 in the member 73 and extends through the fore and aft tubcasting members 17 and 18.

Adjacent the forward end of the shaft 101 and integrally with the handle102 we have provided a trigger mechanism 104 which actuates a detent pin106. The detent pin 106 passes through a detent plate 108 which issecured to the front of the member 73. When the trigger 104 and the pin106 are retracted it is apparent that the handle 102 may be rotatedabout 360. However when the trigger 104 has not retracted the pin 106will restrict the movement of the handle 102 through the 90 are formedby the enlarged arcuate recess 109 in the plate 108.

It should be pointed out at this time that the handle If the slidingtable cannot move the handle cannot be reciprocated fore and aft. If thehandle 102 and the shaft 104 cannot be reciprocated then, and in thatevent, the table top may not be reciprocated.

We have provided a locking mechanism which is more completelyillustrated in FIGURES 9 and 9a. This locking mechanism consists of ablock 111 which is secured to the front cast tub portion 17. The block111 is provided with a bore 112 which accommodates the rod 101. Atransverse slot 113 accommodates a washer 114 which is formed with apair of offsets 114a and 114b. When the shaft 101 is rotated to aposition at which the offsets 114a and 114b engages the sides of theslot 113 the washer 114 will be tilted and the hole in the washer willcam against the rod 101 and lock it with respect to the washer. When sooperated the shaft will be locked with respect to the block and thetable 71 cannot be reciprocated. However when the shaft is I turned tothe position at which the washer does not jam her 123 which is providedwith a cam track 124 which is adapted to receive the switch handle 121.Thus when the shaft 101 is rotated the cam track 124 will actuate thetoggle switch 121 to either open or close the circuit to the motor.

Operation of the entire device may briefly be described as follows:

The device is first connected to a suitable source of electric currentwhereby, when the circuit to the motor is closed, the saw blade 15 willbe caused to be rotated. The openator first examines the structure todetermine whether or not the saw blade is tilted to the proper angle oris raised or lowered to the proper height to perform the desired cut.

Let is be assumed that the operator wishes to change the height of thesaw blade. He will actuate the handle 48 in such a manner that the shaft43 will be pushed to the extreme left hand position illustrated inFIGURE 5 so that the gears 41 and 47 will be in mesh. Rotation of theactuating handle 48 will then cause the worm gear 36 to actuate the rack34 so that the saw blade is raised or lowered about the pivot pointformed by the bolt 29.

Then let it be assumed that the operator wishes to change the angle atwhich the cut is to be made. The operator will then move the controlhandle 48 to the right as viewed in FIGURE 5 with the result that theshaft 43 will likewise be moved to the right and the gears 41 and 47will be disengaged. The pin 49 will engage one of the slots 51 in thecollar 52 with the result that the gear mechanism 56 will be caused toengage the rack 42 and the entire cradle 23 will be swung about the axisof the trunnions 21 and 22 and the tilt of the blade will likewise bealtered. It will be borne in mind that the blade will tilt through theaxis of the line 26.

The handle 57 may then be actuated so that the shaft 43 is locked:against rotary movement and fore and aft movement with respect to thefront cast tub portion 17.

It must be assumed that the slot 75 between the two table top portions71 and 72 is the proper width. This being so the operator is ready tosecure the workpiece to the sliding table top.

The workpiece may be secured to the sliding table top by means of amiter gauge construction of the type illustrated in copendingapplication Serial No. 681,371, filed August 30, 1957 and now abandoned.A pistol-grip type of workpiece holder such as illustrated inGoldschmidt Patent No. 2,759,503, granted August 21, 1956, may likewisebe used.

However let it be assumed that the blade 15 has been raised or loweredto a proper height and has been tilted to the proper angle with respectto the table top for-med by the members 71 and 72. The operator thengrips the handle 102 and swings the same to a predetermined position.

For example, when the handle 102 points directly downwardly the sawtable may be moved fore and aft but the toggle switch handle 121 isurged to a position by the cam track 124 at which the circuit to themotor remains open.

When the handle 122 is swung in a counter clockwise direction then andin that event the shaft 101 is likewise rotated and the offsets 114a and114b engage the side walls of slot 113 jamming the washer 114 againstshaft 101 thereby preventing fore and aft movement of the table withrespect to the blade 15. The toggle switch handle 121 likewise remainsunactuated with the result that the circuit to the motor remains open.

When the handle 102 is swung upwardly a further 90 in a counterclockwise direction the trigger 104 must be reciprocated. When thehandle is in this position the circuit to the motor is closed and thetable is free for fore and aft movement with respect to the tubassembly. This is the true sliding table saw operating position and theworkpiece and the table may be urged fore and aft through the path ofthe blade.

Let .it be assumed that the handle 102 is rotated a further 90 throughits axis in a counter clockwise direction. When the handle is in thisposition the oifsets 114a and 11-4b will engage .slot 113 and the shaft101 and the table assembly will be restricted against further fore andaft motion. Howeverthe circuit to the motor will remain closed since thetoggle switch handle 121 will not be actuated by the cam track 124. Whenthe device is in this position it is apparent that the assembly operatesas a conventional table saw.

We have illustrated a fence 16 which is movable lateral- 1y from theposition shown in FIGURE 3 to a position -over the table adjacent thesaw blade 15. When the fence is so positioned a workpiece may be securedthereto and the entire fence and sliding table may be reciprocatedhorizontally. In this manner, a workpiece when secured to the fence 16,will be advanced with'the table. This type of operation is particularlyadaptable for use in connection with mortising and tenoning and similaroperations.

We claim:

1. A sawing machine comprising a shaft for mounting a saw blade and thelike and having power means for rotating said shaft, said shaft beingtiltable for the making of angle cuts, said machine having va worksupporting table, said table being in two parts disposed respectively,

one on each side of said saw blade and the like, one of said parts beinglaterally adjustable with respect to the other and both with respect tosaid saw blade and the saw blade and the like, said guides being mountedon laterally extending support members, whereby the sliding axis of saidtable may be adjusted with respect to said saw blade and the like.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS194,378 Shaw Aug. 21, 1877 429,836 Beach June 10, 1890 1,380,707 FehrmJune 7, 1921 1,593,317 Thomas July 20, 1926 2,323,248 Sellmeyer June 29,1943 2,974,693 Goldschmidt et a1 Mar. 14, 1961

1. A SAWING MACHINE COMPRISING A SHAFT FOR MOUNTING A SAW BLADE AND THELIKE AND HAVING POWER MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID SHAFT, SAID SHAFT BEINGTILTABLE FOR THE MAKING OF ANGLE CUTS, SAID MACHINE HAVING A WORKSUPPORTING TABLE, SAID TABLE BEING IN TWO PARTS DISPOSED RESPECTIVELY,ONE ON EACH SIDE OF SAID SAW BLADE AND THE LIKE, ONE OF SAID PARTS BEINGLATERALLY ADJUSTABLE WITH RESPECT TO THE OTHER AND BOTH WITH RESPECT TOSAID SAW BLADE AND THE LIKE, THUS PROVIDING FOR A BLADE-ACCOMMODATINGSLOT OF ADJUSTABLE WIDTH, SAID TABLE AS A COMPLETE UNIT BEING SLIDABLEFORE AND AFT THROUGH THE PATH OF SAID SAW BLADE AND